The answer is NO – and this article will hopefully explain why. As the Life Leadership organization continues to grow larger, one of the weapons that negative critics may use is to call Life Leadership a “cult”. In most cases, ignorant people who are looking for a derogatory and antagonistic word to use in an argument may use this term. In spite of this, Life Leadership will continue to grow and make waves. We live in a world seems to be falling further into the shadow of evil – where the masses rename the word “sin” into politically correct terms like “a person’s choice”, “ a mistake” or “morally dyslexic”. In contrast to this, Life Leadership is simply working to help lead people back to Biblical truth by way of marketplace ministry. This will continue to create a disparity as time goes on.

Cult vs. Culture

The purpose of a cult is to indirectly enslave people for a twisted purpose. In contrast, Life Leadership aims to help people learn how to be free from enslavement, especially enslavement to debt. Consider the following verses:

1 Corinthians 7:23 “You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.”

Proverbs 22:7 “The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender.”

This is what Life Leadership is all about – helping people first to not be slaves to poor thinking, then apply new thinking so that people can live freer, more abundant lives. There is no hidden agenda, no plans to exploit or take advantage of people. People are free to be involved in any capacity that they choose.

If you attend a live event, what you will find is not a cult, but instead a positive culture. A grace filled environment where success principles are shared but not mandated. Where positive attitudes are rampant and there is a positive pressure to improve your thinking through the reading of good books. Once you attend a seminar, your will see how laughable the “cult” label is and how this new “culture” can be a blessing to everybody. How exciting!

History of the term “cult”

From the beginning when God created Man, He included in our being the need to worship. It is hard-wired in all of us. The problem is when we are not taught properly to worship God and his son, Jesus Christ; we will always fill the void by worshiping something, anything else – because we long to do so. Early organizations in history have taken advantage of this to manipulate, exploit or harm groups of people in very subtle ways. This is the real history of a “cult” as we think of them today.

The word “cult” was first used in the early 17th century, borrowed from the Frenchculte, and from Latincultus (worship). It was originally used as a neutral term, not to describe a group of fanatic religionists, but to describe the different acts of worship or religious ceremonies. In the early 19th century, the term was used to negatively describe “excess devotion” to something. By the 1930’s, the term “cult” was termed “heresy” and the term “cultist” acquired the connotation of Satanism. Today, the term “cult” can be defined many ways:

“Cult” Definition #1:

A relatively small group of people having religious beliefs or practices regarded by others as strange or sinister.

“Cult” Definition #2:

A belief system that claims to have the truth of Christ and salvation but they deny one or more of the core doctrines of the Christian faith.

“Cult” Definition #3:

A belief system that alters the absolute truth of the Bible. A cult always offers an alternate foundation of truth – something separate from the Bible.

Was Life Leadership created to be a cult?

Orrin Woodward and Chris Brady were both raised in lower-middle class families in southeast Michigan. They both worked hard pursuing engineering careers in the automotive field. They did this to raise their families and live a happy life. The problem is that the “secure” corporate world around them was changing. Part of this was because the early to mid-1990’s signaled the end of the industrial age and beginning of the information age. They were disconcerted when they saw how the ladder to corporate success lead to more hours, more time away from family and ultimately more stress. In addition, I am sure it was scary to see how easily their jobs could be taken from them in the ever-changing automotive industry. At this point, they did NOT say to each other, “Hey, I have an idea! Lets start a cult so that we can take advantage of brainwashing other cult members so we can be rich!” No, this is ridiculous! The truth is that they simply looked for opportunities to work for themselves in a business of their own.

How could somebody mistake Life Leadership for a “cult”?

Over time, Orrin and Chris decided that, instead of being selfish, they would create the first ever business model where there are no special deal for themselves or any of the other founders. They created a model that would compensate a person solely based upon their performance, even to the point that a new person’s income could surpass anybody’s income, including their own. This is not only fair, but VERY ATTRACTIVE to people looking for an opportunity to be compensated based upon performance only. No politics, no bureaucracy, no “good-ol’-boys” club, just performance! So when you do something this cool, it is going to upset the status quo in the business world. Competitors can either adapt or throw stones. Because Orrin Woodward, Chris Brady and the other founders have put together something this attractive, they naturally have a large following of people who speak well of them through edification. This type of edification, to the outside observer, could be misinterpreted, especially if what they see and read everyday is negative and full of gossip and back-biting.

Ways to identify a real “cult”:

Who do they identify their source of Authority?

What do they believe about the trinity?

What do they believe about Salvation?

They oppose critical thinking and discourage people from thinking for themselves.

They dishonor the family unit.

They isolate members and penalize them for leaving the group.

They seek loyalty to a leader above loyalty to Jesus.

They cross biblical boundaries of behavior.

They encourage separation from church.

They emphasize special revelations that contradict Scripture.

They group lavishes the leader with un-earned luxury.

They seek to alter personality and, in some cases, create a new name for certain members.

Life Leadership passes all 12 of these tests with flying colors. Stay tuned for tomorrow’s post where we will analyze this list point by point.

Chris Brady is Founder, CEO and Creative Director of the Life Leadership business. Although Chris takes his duties and responsibilities very serious, he does not take himself too serious. What I mean is that Chris is one of the most likeable and joy-filled guys that you would ever have the privilege of meeting. Chris is seriously fun to listen to, with his quick wit and the ability to turn a funny tale into a fantastic lesson. Along with Orrin Woodward, Chris is an extremely well read individual who teaches people to dig into books as if they contained priceless buried treasure inside. Most importantly, Chris has a passion to lead people to his savior, Jesus Christ, and to empower other people to become a force for good in this fallen world.

The Vision of Chris Brady and Orrin Woodward

With Chris’s impressive professional credentials (see below), solid personal character and his drive towards excellence in all areas of life, I am appalled that anybody could write anything derogatory online. Both Chris Brady and Orrin Woodward have dedicated their lives to the building of something magnificent that will provide some of the greatest opportunities that the masses will ever be exposed to. They are fighting to keep the American Dream alive and well – and not just in America, but all over the world. They are creating a company that can equip the masses to excel in their personal and professional lives. At the same time, they are creating opportunities for people who want their ladder of success to not be limited by a corporate pay scale by creating a compensation plan that has no ceiling. They are both revolutionizing the home-based industry.

Here is a short excerpt from Chris as he indirectly addresses critics to Life Leadership in the classy and witty style that he does everything else with:

Enter the Antagonists (Who Would Dare Say LIFE Leadership is a Scam)

Opposed to our revolutionizing the industry is, of course, anyone who wants things to stay as they are in any of the above four trends. As the saying goes, “When you set out to change the world, you’d better beware of those who already run it!” This includes entrenched competitors and those who work for them or prosper by their position, who are, as is only natural, threatened by what we are attempting to achieve. What results is the most natural situation in which two different sides are battling it out in the marketplace for proof that their way of doing things is best. As is so wonderful in the capitalistic system (as Orrin Woodward has written about on numerous occasions) the customer gets to decide. We respect our competitors of all stripes and sizes and look forward to the challenge they provide on the playing field of free enterprise!

To the Antagonists, big and small: If you have a better way to make the world a better place, then go do it. Otherwise, shut up!

Short summary of Chris Brady’s professional credentials:

Chris Brady is founder, CEO, and Creative Director of LIFE Leadership. He also serves as the Executive Publisher of Obstaclés Press and is a New York Times bestselling author, speaker, humorist, and businessman. Chris has sold over a million copies of his books in 6 different languages.

First of all, this is not just another MLM. What an uneducated and acute thing to say! Life Leadership cannot be put in that box (or stereotype). This is next generation community building that is only getting better! Second, every business on planet earth recruits people to buy their product, market their product and improve their product. When somebody says this to you in a derogatory tone, this is a type of vanity – wanting to look good to everybody. To gain acceptance from everybody and, in many cases, look cooler than everybody else. Life Leadership will teach you that the most attractive person is the man or woman that is genuinely interested in other people and has a way to help them live the life they have always wanted to live.

“You have to be a salesman to make it in something like that.”

This is not true. Yes, there are some basic skills to learn about getting people started into your community. You do have to develop confidence and posture. All of these things can be learned. People skills are called “skills” because you can learn them. The real secret to becoming successful in Life Leadership is that you have to cultivate the 3-H’s from Orrin Woodward and Chris Brady’s book, Launching a Leadership Revolution. You have to be Hungry, Hone-able and Honorable. On top of this, you have to genuinely care about people.

“You can’t afford that! They want you to spend $200 per month so the top guy can make his millions.”

Give me a break! The cynic who says this definitely knows nothing about Life Leadership. First of all, customer sales are a requirement of the business side of Life Leadership. An important part of getting you started properly is to help you acquire some customers. Not only does this help you make money faster, but also it helps you satisfy the recommended personal volume requirement to be a PBO (Professional Business Owner). Secondly, show me another business that requires zero investment? Life Leadership is extremely flexible and sensitive to the needs of a person struggling financially. In fact, the first thing you should do is follow the steps outlined in the Financial Fitness Program to cut un-necessary expenses and develop a concise plan to get out of debt. So the “you can’t afford that” comment is ridiculous! Most people can’t afford not to! I would go as far as saying that the Financial Matrix is sucking more money in interest than the average person could invest if they bought every product that Life Leadership offers! This is absolutely a win-win deal for the new member.

“You are too busy to do something like this.”

This is another favorite from your friend, Captain Obvious. Of course you are busy! What, do you think people that succeed in Life Leadership start out with no job, no family, and no other commitments? Give me a break. You will never become “not so busy” that you eventually have time to build communities in Life Leadership! Why not ask the question, “why are you so busy?” or “is your busy-ness producing the results you really desire?” A deeper question to ponder is “What is the best you can expect if you maintain your level of busy-ness for the next 5 years?” If the answer is somewhere in the ballpark of “Your boss’s position, then you have to ask yourself if you would be happy with the lifestyle that he or she lives? Or are they just busier at a little higher level? Seriously? Time to check the fruit on the tree and compare it honestly to what you really want your future to look like. If you like the lifestyle of the person 5 years further into your career, then keep on trucking (you can be a customer of Life Leadership and I am sure it will accelerate that process for you). If not, it is time to look at your busy calendar and squeeze some time in to learn and build communities with Life Leadership.

“I have too much on my plate. When I do something, I want to give 100%.”

This comment makes no sense at all. It is a fancy excuse to say “I’m a chicken” while trying to impress you with their “badge of busy-ness”. Don’t take my comments the wrong way, everybody has the right to say “no”, but this comment sounds really funny to those of us who have thought the matter through. Think about it from a time management perspective, does this person give 100% of their time to their job? No. Does this person give 100% of their time to their family? No. Does this person really give 100% to any worthwhile activity in any given day? No. They split up their time with the things that are most important. What I hope this person does practice is to give 100% concentration and focus to each task in their day. With this in mind, the question that begs to be asked from this person’s life is “are the tasks that you do daily producing the lifestyle you want for you and your family?” If the answer is “yes”, keep doing what you are doing and stop making lame excuses for not getting involved with the business side of Life Leadership. Just say thank you for the information and become a customer. If the answer is “no”, then lets find a way to put more things in your daily schedule that do get you closer to the life you have always wanted to life!

There are a few more excuses and objections, but I will save them for a comedy edition titled: “The funniest things that people have said in the process of turning down a great opportunity”.

OK, so you are new to Life Leadership, or at the very least, checking it out. You have certainly come to the right place! It is time to pick apart what some of the critics are going to say to you, and help you gain the right perspective.

Let me begin by telling you that your belief and knowledge will be tested any time you attempt to do something great. Maybe not today, but eventually somebody will offer their negative comments or opinion about Life Leadership and try to mess with your head. This will be difficult because these comments can come from a close family member or friend who genuinely cares about you but, quite frankly, does not have a clue what they are talking about. I call this type of person “Acluistic” meaning “one having no clue”. Some will even sound really smart and sound like they know what they are talking about, but unless they have been involved with Life Leadership for the last 3 months, they are “Acluistic” or “they have no clue”. So your task is to do your own homework and make your own decisions based upon facts. Don’t just blindly accept the ignorant analysis of the “Acluist”.

So lets walk through some of the things that your “well-meaning” family member or friend may say to you:

Of course they are going to say this because that’s what everybody says to try to make themselves sound smart and discerning! There is a very good chance that the place that your friend works is more of a “pyramid” structure than a Life Leadership organization. The difference is that in all jobs, the top positions/titles always gets the most money. This is how the “credentialist” system works; in Life Leadership, the new guy can earn a spot at the top based upon performance, not position. This is how a “creator” system or a performance/results system works.

“I would be careful if I were you.“

The folks that will say this to you are saying this out of ignorance. What they really should be saying is “I have no facts or experience on building a leadership team or compensated community, so I would go to one of their Leadership conferences to investigate further if I were you.” Unfortunately, pride and ego prevent people from saying this. Instead, they prefer to ‘feel’ smart so instead they advise you to live in their comfort zone to be safe. That being said, there are real scams out there, but Life Leadership is not one. (If it were a scam, it would have been shut down already).

“I knew somebody that did something like that ended up losing friends and alienating people.”

This is a serious comment that I want to make very clear: The only way somebody loses friends it is because they offended them and did not work to resolve the issue. Period! The other dimension to this comment would be this: Most likely you had some good friends in Elementary and Middle School. Then you went to High School- there you probably made good friends with new people. Did you stop being friends with your Elementary school friends? No, not at all. Shared experiences in a new school forces you to develop new “good” friends. After High School, many people go to College and make some more “good” friends. So did you stop being friends with your High School friends? Of course not! You just did not see them as often, but you are still friends. You start a career and make a few friends at your new job. Did you stop being friends with your College buddies? No. Same thing, you are still friends, but you may not see them as often. So what will happen when you build a Life Leadership business? The same thing! You will certainly make some new friends! Does this mean you will lose any of the other friendships you have gained? No. Remember, the only way to lose friends is to hurt or offend them and make no effort to apologize and mend the friendship. My favorite thing about Life Leadership is that you never have to graduate from it and move on! You get to keep gaining friends for the rest of your life. This is fantastic!

“Of course they want you to go to a meeting! They want to get your hopes up so they can sell you their products!”

Way to go, Captain Obvious! Of course you are expected to go to a meeting – the meeting is the most important part of the “product”. There is nothing bad about getting your hopes up and there is nothing bad about marketing a product! So Captain Obvious doesn’t think you should attend a meeting, huh? Ask the moron who makes a comment like this if he would buy a house without walking thru, or buy a car without first taking it on a test drive. The Life Leadership community of people is the heart of the business. Yes, of course there is a sales/marketing plan, but you go to the meeting to meet and get to know the people and the culture in your area. Furthermore, we want to get your hopes up because the possibilities are real. The compensation is real. The system that helps people escape the Financial Matrix is real! Does Captain Obvious really expect you to keep your hopes and expectations low? Wow, nice friend…

Earlier in this blog, I published two articles as a rebuttal to an article written back in 2013 by Pastor Dave Marriott of Lakewood Baptist Church. His article about the Life Leadership business and it’s leaders was nothing more than a weak attempt to take one-sided opinions from negative critics and add credibility to their vomit. Jumping on the band-wagon does not turn opinion into truth! Pastor Marriott’s article did nothing more than turn a young, naïve Pastor into a talebearer and sower of the seeds of discord.

Life Leadership’s All Grace Outreach (AGO) program

The reason for this follow up article it that a new video has just been produced that makes Pastor Marriott’s article look even more pathetic. Life Leadership is taking big steps to expand its influence as a marketplace ministry and become a greater force for the cause of Christ. Chris Swanson has been recently welcomed as the new spokesman for the All Grace Outreach (AGO) program – which is at the heart and soul of the Life Leadership mission. Chris has been a devoted and passionate public servant for many years with an impeccable track record. He was promoted to under-sheriff of the Flint, MI police department in 2011. Chris has a passion to make a difference across the world and lead people to truth.

Churches all over the country are losing influence. Biblical truths are being dismissed and ignored all over the world. The fall of Rome will repeat itself in America if we don’t change something! Life Leadership does not have all of the answers, but it is doing more than almost every other organization I know of today. Enjoy the video and support the AGO ministry.

P.S. If you are reading this and you are Pastor Marriott (or a member of Lakewood Baptist Church), please consider removing this old article – it’s making you look bad..

Back in 1954, Abraham Maslow wrote a book titled, “Motivation and Personality”. In this book, he defined what is referred to as a ‘hierarchy of human needs“. Included are innate, universal needs for things like air, water and food; further up the pyramid, the needs change to shelter, health and safety. This hierarchy diagram goes all the way to self-transcendence. In my opinion, this hierarchy requires an amendment to include another universal human need: This is universal need to always ask the question: “Is this a pyramid scheme?” whenever a person is exposed to a home based business idea, like Life Leadership. I know, this seems crazy! But based on how often it happens, it clearly belongs as a bullet point in Maslow’s explanation of human beings…

Pyramid Schemes clearly explained:

Thankfully, a new video has surfaced to put this topic to bed, once and for all! Assuming that you are new to the industry or you are doing research on Life Leadership, I have consolidated the four best links to give you the facts about pyramid businesses and why Life Leadership is not only a solid business model, but it is positioned to be the most profitable model in the industry for years to come: Check out these links:

1. “Life Leadership: Business Scam?” video

This is hands down the best explanation on what a pyramid scheme is. Very professional, factual and thorough! It also gives you a fantastic comparison to other billion dollar industries that is quite impressive.

LIFE Leadership Business

Here is a fantastic video that answers several of the common questions asked about compensated communities. Network Marketing has been around for many years, but many still do not understand how and why people and companies are attracted to this business model.

LIFE Leadership has created the best paying compensated community in the profession and has helped thousands of people eliminate tens of thousands of dollars debt previously poured into the Financial Matrix hole. What is your plan to escape the Financial Matrix?

2. Article titled “Lies, Lies, Lies, and the Life Leadership Scam

The author of this article, Holger Spiewak, holds multiple advanced college degrees and is extremely analytical when it comes to researching and sharing facts. I hope you enjoy this article.

While we are on this subject of “pyramid”, how can LIFE Founder Tim Marks who is UNDERNEATH his sponsor, LIFE Founder Bill Lewis, in the structure of the LIFE Community, make significantly more money for 14 years in a row than Bill?? Guess who made more money when I was an engineer, me or my boss? Corporate America IS a pyramid. “LIFE is a pyramid”, just another popular lie.

This begins with a fantastic article by Orrin Woodward (based upon over 15 years of experience and success); followed up by real members who have done their research prior to joining Life Leadership. This may be my favorite link to share because of the variety of comments from people with first hand experience. Enjoy!

There exist countless facts, testimonials and life-changing stories concerning the positive impact that Orrin and Laurie Woodward have made over the last 15 years to conclude anything other than the fact that they are time-tested leaders of leaders. However, because they have worked very hard to live for truth and justice, they are criticized. Because they work hard to develop people and develop a business system that educates people, they are criticized.

Could you imagine what the world will look like when Orrin Woodward actually accomplishes his first stated goal with Life Leadership: 1 million people reading good books; 1 million people turning off the media and listening to positive messaging; 1 million people striving to improve body, mind and soul? I believe that the world would be a better place. I am excited that there is finally somebody with an eschatology of victory focused on making the world that our children have to grow up in a better place. Orrin’s biggest challenge is that he has yet to create a training system good enough to fix ‘stupid’.

Read what other people are saying about Orrin Woodward:

The shocking part about Orrin Woodward, the man, is that he is not only driven to succeed, but he also desires to do so in the right way, based on principles. Indeed, if something is not based on principles, then Orrin refuses to function in that environment. He is more driven to improve himself daily because he understands the principle of The Law of the Lid: An organization grows to the level of its leader; therefore, Orrin continually attacks his own thinking in an effort to learn and grow. With all of that said, he is human and, therefore, has made mistakes. But his willingness to admit those mistakes and to do what he can to fix them is extremely impressive. In a world where people perpetually blame others, Orrin, instead, accepts responsibility and focuses on improving. It’s hard to not like someone like that. His humility and his faith also separate him from the crowd. In most organizations, the person that created it makes himself the supreme being of that company. Orrin, on the other hand, usually takes a back seat in order to let others lead and receive the glory. His goal is to surround himself with the best leaders, which takes a person who understands where he comes from and possesses a humble spirit that enables him to realize that one person doesn’t have all the answers. On a personal level, Orrin has developed a successful marriage with his wife Laurie and raised four wonderful kids.

I am so proud to be in business with Orrin Woodward for his courage to stand on principle. While many people talk the talk Orrin Woodward walks the walk. The “Amway Drones” accuse Orrin of being only concerned about money; however, as far back as 2005, he volunteered to take a pay cut to fix the business model. What leader that is only concerned about money would do that? Clearly Orrin is more concerned with helping new people win then padding his own pocketbook.

When Orrin chose to confront the powers-that-be, and try to fix the problems, he did so knowing it would jeopardize his respected position at the company. Instead of making millions while other struggled, Orrin risked bankruptcy and spent tens of millions of dollars in order to stand on his convictions. Orrin did not enter this conflict with the intention of starting a new company, or gaining more wealth; rather, he did it because principles he holds dear were at stake; freedom and justice.

I was with him one weekend during probably the hardest part of this fight when he said to me, “If Laurie and I have to sell everything and move back into a trailer, that is what we will do to make this right.”

Does that sound like a money-hungry greedy person, or a person who is willing to sell everything except his principles?

There have been thousands of books published by the leaders in other networks, but how many have made the NY Time best-seller list? Less than can be counted on one hand!

Orrin Woodward is a Leader

In one of the silliest blog postings I’ve ever read about Orrin, someone in public relations from a multi-billion dollar company (Amway Global) actually had the gall to call Orrin a “MIS-Leader”, despite the fact that over 40,000 people followed him out of Amway’s former sister corporation Quixtar. Have you ever heard of a billion dollar plus company singling out an individual to throw tomatoes at before? I certainly haven’t. In my mind, above anything else, this confirms Orrin must be a top leader because one of his billion dollar competitors fears him enough to write an entire blog post in a futile attempt to defame his leadership and character. Perhaps this is the real motivation for the Amway drones continued attempts to knock Orrin – they must be feeling pretty embarrassed, having misjudged the character and resolve of Orrin Woodward. Each time he receives another leadership award or accolade these guys are probably reaching for the towel to wipe the egg off of their faces. Orrin, the so called “MIS-leader” just won one of the most prestigious leadership awards in the country in direct competition with Jack Welch, Tony Robbins, and Jim Collins to name just a few of his peers. Ouch… that one had to hurt.

As Orrin Woodward and Life Leadership continue to grow, they will continue to be a lightning rod for critics. It is simply because they are trying to help people. Period. As a new person doing his or her research, you have to realize this simple truth and then jump on board. There is a lot of work to do and a lot of hurting people to help. Lets get to it!